Longitudinal patterns of obesity from adolescence to young adulthood: How do stressful life events weigh in?

Background: The period of adolescence is a transitional developmental stage. While many individuals traverse this period relatively unscathed, a number suffer from significant health problems as a result of stressful life events (SLE).

Methods: Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) (N = 9,311), this study examined the effects of SLE during adolescence on longitudinal patterns of obesity during the transition to adulthood, separately for females and males. Patterns of obesity were categorized as: becoming obese, staying obese, or reducing obesity/staying non-obese over time. Weighted bivariate and multivariate multinomial and ordered logistic regression were employed.

Results: Both females and males showed an increase in becoming obese from adolescence to young adulthood, more so than staying obese or reducing obesity. The number of SLE experienced differed significantly by age, race/ethnicity, nativity status, and family structure. Adolescents who experienced greater numbers of SLE had the highest percentage of becoming and staying obese. However, upon controlling for demographic factors, SLE experienced did not significantly predict longitudinal patterns of obesity.

Conclusions: Although SLE during adolescence were positively associated with patterns of obesity, other sociodemographic factors appear to play a more important role. Future research may benefit from exploring alternate mechanisms through which obesity patterns occur from adolescence to young adulthood. These findings contribute to those within the stress and obesity literature, specifically including the period of the transition to adulthood.